Former Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick recently revealed that Activision once offered world-renowned skateboarder Tony Hawk $300,000 to secure the rights to his name and likeness for the first Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater game. At the time, Hawk was in a financial slump and struggling to make ends meet. In an interview with the Grit podcast, Kotick claimed that Hawk was living in his car and going through his second divorce.
Kotick stated that Hawk was in desperate need of money, leading them to sign an agreement with him that included not only the $300,000 but also 1.5% in royalties, a percentage that was renegotiated over time. “We made Pro Skater, which sold well, but Pro Skater 2 was the game that really blew up the industry,” explained Kotick. In 2019, Hawk disclosed that Activision had offered him a buyout of all future royalties for $500,000, which he declined. Hawk’s decision paid off, as he later revealed that he received a $4 million royalty check after the release of Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 4. Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater was released in 1999 on the original PlayStation platform. It was then remastered in 2020 as Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1+2 on modern platforms. The last major installment in the series was Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 5 in 2015, marking the end of Hawk’s contract with Activision. Although the remastered versions of Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 and 4 have not been scheduled, Hawk has confirmed that the series will continue. This article is produced and published by self.gamesinall, and republication is prohibited without permission. For more related information, please follow the Tony Hawk Pro Skater 1+2 section.
